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I have moved to Frankfurt, Germany and doing a new corporate life but still focused on holistic health, all-natural products and seeking to build the same supportive community that I was able to build over 5 years in the DC area with wonderful fans and customers like you. You can read more about my story and origin here on the blog including my design and family.

It’s especially hard this time of year thinking about families gathered around a table of good eats, or friends and co-workers giving edible gifts to know that with the inquiries I recieve, there are people missing my bread, pies and cookies.

Remove from stove and add to a large mixing bowl of cubed bread. Stir in one egg and finely chopped fresh parsley. Cut 2 TBS butter into bowl and stir.

Put in baking tray/pan and top with remaining 2 TBS of butter (Mama says: you can never have too much butter) and cover with foil. Bake 30 mins. Remove foil and bake an extra 10-15 minutes for a crunchy top, if so desired.

So, it’s 23 days into my gluten-free diet and I was beginning to run out of dinners that were gluten-free and contained the right amount of protein. It’s expensive to have meat at every meal and there’s only so much beans and rice one can have! So I ventured into a new world.

At our local grocery store there was a packet of this meat replacement called “Neat”. Not only is it gluten-free, but also 100% vegetarian and soy free! The greatest part, the company is also based out of Lancaster County!

Last night for dinner was the first time I used the product and it was absolutely fantastic. I used their Italian Mix to make “neatballs” for a pasta dish, which I used corn noodles in place of regular wheat pasta. The meal was very easy, and tasted exactly like meatballs would. I highly recommend this product even if you aren’t a vegetarian!

To find out if Neat is near you go to their website where they also have more recipes and information about their product!

It seems to be the perfect time of year when everything in the garden is blossoming and plumping up! One of the biggest fans of this hot and steamy weather are peppers and there’s only so many stir fry dishes one can make. So, to shake things up I decided to create mini stuffed peppers for a side dish! The only thing was, they were so delicious we couldn’t stop and take a picture of them before eating them! So, below is the recipe! Feel free to make them yourself and post your own pictures!

You will need: a selection of peppers, 1 cup white rice, 1 can black beans, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, and various spices.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Select one pepper for each person dining. Smaller peppers can be used for side dishes, while larger ones will work for main dishes.

Cut the top off of each pepper and remove the core and seeds from inside.

Place the peppers in a glass baking dish so that each pepper stands upright with the top opening facing up.

Cook about 1 cup of white rice for each dozen peppers. I used leftover rice which worked fine as well.

With the cooked or leftover rice place a spoonful on the bottom of each pepper. Next, place a spoonful of black beans on top of the layer of rice. Repeat until all of the peppers are full. It is also optional to place a layer of cooked ground beef with taco seasoning in the middle. This might be a good option if the peppers are your main dish.

Sprinkle the top of each pepper with various seasonings. I used onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes remove the foil and sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top of the peppers and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.

Well, it’s been a little over a week since I started living gluten-free and most of the things I’ve tried are great, with one exception. My friends always post beautiful pictures of their breakfast parfait, you know the ones with yummy yogurt topped with fresh fruit and healthy granola? Well, I decided to try that for breakfast one day so I bought the cheapest store brand bulk yogurt at our local grocery store and a bag of Viki’s blueberry almond gluten-free granola. I topped the yogurt with some fresh strawberries, blueberries, and the granola and it looked fantastic!

My first gluten-free fail

Except, the yogurt I bought was fat free and extremely dry. My advice, don’t skimp on the yogurt, go for the name brand and don’t be afraid to get one with a regular fat content. Afterall, a good dose of healthy fat before a busy day at work or going to the gym gives you the boost of energy you need!

Besides the yogurt fail I’ve had two great successes, first eggplant parmesan. The only difference between your favorite eggplant parmesan recipe and this one is with the bread crumbs. Gluten-free bread crumbs can be super expensive and sometimes hard to find. In this case, I just took some rice crackers and pulsed them in a food processor until they were the consistency of bread crumbs. It was super easy and rice crackers are very inexpensive!

Yummy and inexpensive gluten-free eggplant!

My second favorite, so far, was my first experiment with Goldilocks Goodies sandwich bread. You see the bread is just the right thickness to be perfect for french toast. So that’s exactly what I made! With my french toast I like to use pumpkin pie spice since it’s exactly the same as any homemade spices one would mix up for french toast. It was quite possibly the best french toast I’ve ever had. I highly recommend making this heavenly breakfast the next time you buy Goldilocks Goodies sandwich bread.

This was my first gluten-free holiday filled with two picnics and many many leftovers. Now, normally I would eat my fair share of burgers, dogs, and cake, but this holiday was a little different. The first big switch I made was a bunless burger with lettuce as my “bun”. It was great! Super fresh and very filling!

Now, the second biggest task to my weekend besides asking nearly everyone at the picnics what was in their dish, was creating my own dish. Something I’m sure a lot of my friends and Facebook followers know is that I love cooking and baking. So, making up my mind as to what to share with my family and friends is a huge decision. I had planned to make something with fresh local vegetables since a new produce stand just opened up in our town (if you’re in Southern Lancaster County, I highly recommend visiting Meck’s produce stand along Beaver Valley Pike outside of Quarryville). That’s when I came up with the plan to put a twist on a picnic favorite–summer tomato salad.

Your normal summer tomato salad comes with cherry or grape tomatoes, corn, and avocado. So to shake things up, I added a creamy chipotle dressing. The homemade chipotle sauce I got from a friends dad (thanks Erik Junggust!) and I added a base of sour cream so there wouldn’t be too much bite to the dish. Below is instructions on how to recreate this creamy chipotle garden salad:

Cook 2 ears of corn however you like. I baked mine, husks and all, in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool the corn so it’s easy to touch then de-kernel your corn. Set aside.

Cut about a pint of grape or cherry tomatoes in half. Combine cooked corn and cut tomatoes in a medium size bowl.

Dice two avocados and fold into your corn and tomato mix.

To prepare your creamy chipotle sauce you’ll first need a chipotle dressing base (this one will work just fine). I added 3 tbsps of the dressing to about a 1/2 C of sour cream. You can adjust the amount of kick by increasing or decreasing the amount of chipotle dressing you include. Fold in the mixed sauce to your vegetables.

Serve cold. If not immediately serving place a layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the salad so the avocado isn’t exposed to oxygen which will turn it brown.

Optional: Add four chopped leaves of fresh basil for added flavor!

Tada!

Keep checking back for more updates on my first experiences going gluten-free and my first time experimenting with Goldilocks Goodies sandwich bread!

My name is Vanessa Robins, Emily’s cousin, and I’ll be the guest writer for the next month or so! I’m a recent graduate from York College of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in English Literature and I’m new to the gluten-free world.

I have had digestive issues my entire life and recently decided to try a gluten-free diet for the entire month of July– yes the month of picnics with hotdogs, hamburgers, and cookies. I will be experimenting (and I’m sure failing a little) with recreations of my favorite recipes, new experiences, and of course new ways to use Goldilocks Goodies products! Hopefully you’ll join me in this fun filled and challenging adventure!